WAUSAU - The Woodchucks might not be in first place in the Northwoods League South Division, but might lead the way in terms of late-inning drama so far this summer.

The Chucks last five games coming into Tuesday had all been decided by three runs or less, including Wisconsin's 3-2 win over Lakeshore in 10 innings Sunday.

With that win, the 'Cardiac Chucks' hit the quarter mark of the Northwoods League season with a 10-8 record which seems about right given where the team sits statistically.

The good?

Wisconsin has a .275 team batting average - fifth best in the NWL - and has averaged 5.83 runs per game. Steve Passatempo, a freshman from UMass-Lowell who has played in all 18 games this summer, ranks eighth in the NWL with a 352 batting average. Mac Caples, a junior from Virginia Tech, has a .297 batting average and is tied for the team lead in both home runs (3) and RBI (12). The Chucks also rank second in the league with a .977 fielding percentage with just 15 errors in 657 total chances.

Mac
Caples(Photo: Courtesy of Wisconsin Woodchucks)

The problem?

The Wisconsin pitching staff has a 5.12 team ERA, the third-worst in the league. The Chucks also are allowing 1.67 hits/walks per inning, which ranks 15th out of 18 teams in the NWL. In a three-game stretch last week, the Chucks allowed a total of 13 runs in the eighth inning or later.

The prognosis?

"This team is going to hit. That's pretty evident," said Ryan Treu, the Chucks president and general manager said late last week. "From top to bottom (the lineup) is aggressive at the plate, which is good and bad, but they're making contact and they know when to shorten up their swing too and just get on base.

"Pitching, from the past few games (last week) there's some worries there, but I think they will be alright once they start settling down and are just throwing strikes," Treu said. "They have good stuff and aren't missing the plate by much, but they have been missing it."

Still, the Chucks are three games better than they were at this point last year, a season in which Wisconsin finished with a 24-47 mark. Wisconsin entered Tuesday's matchup in Duluth just two games behind Madison for first place in the NWL South Division and just a half-game behind Wisconsin Rapids for second place. The Chucks allowed seven runs to Kalamazoo in the ninth inning of a 12-10 setback last week, but the loss was overturned the next day as the Growlers violated the league's guidelines by not giving a pitcher four days rest after he had thrown over 85 pitches in his previous outing.

The Chucks were not given the win, but the loss was removed in one of the more notable games of the first quarter of the season.

"We are two games out of first with a long way to go," Treu said. "Rosters are going to evolve here over the next week or so and we will see what happens"

The Chucks, who have a 6-3 record at home, have remained in contention despite first-year manager Mike Gedman leaving the team in the first week of the NWL season due to a strong workload at Framingham State University where he works and also is the baseball coach.

"He had business to take care of on campus and it was to the point where it was just the best interest to part ways. I think there were more responsiblities with the university than he initially thought," Treu said. "Obviously it wasn't something that we were prepared for but that is why you build good assistants around (the manager). Lucky for us it was early enough in the year where probably half the team won't know the difference.

Dustin Coffman, who had been a Chucks assistant coach, was named manager. Andrew Fabian serves as the Chucks pitching coach and bench coach.

"I think both of them have an opportunity to be a manager in this league next year. They're ready," Treu said. "It was a pretty seemless transition for the most part and (the players) handled it fine. It is what it is and you just move forward. (Coffman and Fabian) didn't really bat an eye. They sat the team down and made sure they understood that; 'This is your summer. How are you going to make the best of it?' They got (the players) to buy in. This team is unique because they established camaraderie really quick. They don't need a lot of motivation. They just go out and do their job."